Let’s talk about “perfectionism”.
I’ve struggled for a long time trying to be perfect…
And most of this stems from my childhood and how my father “raised” me.
I was never allowed to make a mistake.
I was never allowed to be wrong.
If I was wrong – it was a serious whack upside the head or “the belt”.
Being wrong in any way was soon tied to pain. (heck, so was being right half the time)
I grew up walking on eggshells, afraid that if I did something wrong, I’d come under my father’s wrath.
So how did I cope with that as a little kid?
I tried to be perfect.
I thought if I just never made a mistake…
Or if I was never wrong…
Then I’d finally be good enough for him.
It’s pretty sad when you think about it.
Making a little kid feel like that…
It sucks.
And I was obviously never able to be perfect.
Because that’s impossible.
But that strive to be perfect is still inside me.
And it flares up from time to time in my life.
For example…
Nut butter.
Huh?
Yeah, nut butter.
I’m The Sugar-Free Man.
Folks come to me to figure out how to get control of their run-away sugar habit.
And one of my “suggestions” in the first 90 days is to go easy on the nuts and nut butters.
Especially the “drupes”.
Some “nuts” are not really nuts at all!
They are drupes – the seeds of fruits.
Things like Pecans, Cashews, and Almonds.
For me, it’s the mental obsession I hate.
Almond butter doesn’t make me crave sugar but it does make me “think about” the freaking nut butter…
…like WAY too much if it’s in the house. (should be my biggest clue)
Plus, it gives me a little groggy kind of blueness hangover the next day.
There is fructose in the almonds but it is a small amount.
You’ve all heard my rants about fructose…
Could it be that I’ve become that sensitive to fructose?
Heck I know I am.
Brussels Sprouts taste like candy to me now.
10 million years of evolution and we got near-zero fructose yearly… now the average person in the US eats 17+ teaspoons of sugar a DAY. Half of which is fructose.
One of the common refrains from folks who get their 30+ days in sugar-free say is that fruit and even veggies (carrots especially) taste really, really sweet.
And if they do, perchance, get real sugar they say it’s “just way too sweet”.
Our taste buds adjust.
They come back to normal.
I somehow think I need to do this “sugar thing” perfectly.
To set an example for folks.
This is me trying to be perfect.
And this kind of thing happens all the time if you’re a perfectionist.
Being a perfectionist can be a blessing in many ways…
But it’s also seriously hurting you.
It’s why people “think about quitting sugar” for years and years and never do it.
It’s why we read all the nutrition books
It’s why we listen to all the videos and podcasts.
It all goes back to perfectionism.
And perfectionism doesn’t just pop up.
It’s not something that starts when you’re 40.
It comes from your childhood.
So if you struggle with it, you’ve had it for a while.
You might not be fully aware of it (like I wasn’t).
But it’s affecting every area of your life.
I’m 60+ years old now, and I still battle it.
So if you struggle with perfectionism…
Just know that you’re not alone.
I’m right there in the mud with ya.
And the big thing to remember is that being “perfect” is not possible.
It doesn’t exist.
It just makes you feel bad when you are inevitably not perfect.
Recovery from sugar is Process NOT an Event.
A crooked line, not a straight one.
And the more you try to be perfect, the more you simply hold yourself back from the GREAT things you could be doing.
Keep that in mind…
The SugarFreeMan
If you’re ready to join a group of “perfectly imperfect” folks who have committed to putting sugar behind them in their quest to be better (not perfect) just go here.
